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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. lean — thin
  3. last — final
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. scale — size or range
  12. race — a contest
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mate — a friend
  15. scale — in music
  16. race — humankind
  17. bulb — for light
  18. race — the arms race
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bulb — for light
  21. last — finally
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. last — to go on
  24. lash — an eyelash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com